#also only one of them though in the novel 'jiang cheng has no love in himself' and it's not wen qing lol

[add1ctedt0you]

Frankenstein, by R.N Sandberg (x)

[tea-cat-arts]

Ranking mxtx couples by whether or not I think they'd be good parents

(I'm 90% sure I'm forgetting someone)

Yep, next question (S)-

Wangxian: tried and tested good dads. I wish them luck with the whole “trying to get wwx pregnant” thing 

They have some shit to work through, but after that I think they'd be fine (A)-

Ling Wen/ Bai Jin: if we're just going off the original publication, I would put them in a much lower tier, but since the revised edition added that thing about them raising orphans together and said orphans turning out alright before unfortunate circumstances, I'm putting them up here. I think they'll be alright once they work through the miscommunication

Xiao Xingchen/ Song Lan: They obviously have a lot of trauma they're working through, but I'd like to think they and A-Qing will be a loving family in the long run 

One of them would be a good parent, the other wouldn't be a bad parent (B)-

Jiang Yanli/ Jin Zixuan: there's no canon reason for me putting them this low. Jin Zixuan just gives off a mediocre parent vibe to me (and we all know Jiang Yanli is the best)

Yushipei: Yushi Huang has good mom energy, and Pei Ming has been shown to be a not terrible mentor. I'd want the misogyny fully beaten out of him with a mace before I'd think he should have kids of his own though 

Lang Qianqiu/ Little Guy: at the very least, they're making sure Guzi is fed, clothed, washed, vaccinated, and has access to education. Neither of them know what they're doing, but I think Little Guy is good at faking it. I wish them luck in their upcoming custody battle  

You know what, surprise me/ I'll hear you out (C)-

Bingqiu: My first instinct is “no, do not bring kids into this,” but then I remembered tharnShen Qingqiu has a surprisingly decent track record? Like, Ning Yingying and Ming Fan both turned out a lot more health than they did in the original novel, and though I wouldn't call him in a good place, Binghe is doing a lot better than Bingge. The wild card for me here is Luo Binghe because I have no idea how he'd be with kids

Quanyin: Yin Yu had a decent track record until he was pushed into snapping. I think rn, he needs a couple centuries of being a babygirl before he's ready to parent again. No idea how Quan Yizhen would do though 

Born to “dual income, no kids, rich uncles/aunts” (D)-

Fengqing: Feng Xin is canonically a bad dad. I know he's working on it, but it is what it is. Mu Qing has been shown to be decent with kids, but I think he’d have a melt down if he had to deal with the mess constantly. 

Hualian: I mean, Xie Lian has raised three kids at this point and one of them became a god, another became state preceptor and then sorta complicit in a genocide, and one became god AND committed genocide + he babysat a ghost king for months and didn't even realize that's what he was because it was a miracle if he remembered to feed him… so, a mixed bag. Hua Cheng may be schrodinger’s child hater, but I'm intrigued by the idea of him raising kids just because I want to know how his own childhood would influence his parenting abilities. They should probably just stick to babysitting for now though 

Mingling: Liu Mingyan is too busy writing gay porn to be dealing with kids, and I just can't imagine Sha Hualing as a mom

Please don't bring a kid into this mess (F)-

Beefleaf: Do I need to explain this one?

Mobeishang: Shang Qinghua should not be put in any position where he has to teach someone about consent (Binghe’s early attempts at flirting being a prime example of why that's a bad idea). I also think Mobei Jun is still working on the whole “why hitting people is not cool” thing. 

QiJiu: I think the original timeline is a prime example of how they're just not in a place to be raising kids 

Jun Wu/ Mei Nianqing: Xie Lian would like a refund on his adopted father figures. They had one kid and he only made it to age 20 because he was cursed to not die

[mxtxfanatic]

Hello, new danmei fan here. I'm really late into danmei, just started last year (so I missed the hype). Just when I confused which blog to follow, I found your blog. Thanks so much for this blog of yours, it really helped me to understand more of the stories. I just finished MDZS, TGCG, SVSSS and now I'm reading 2Ha.

For this ask game, can I ask MDZS or SVSSS?

Before I start reading, many people said that SVSSS is inferior to other MXTX works, after finishing the books, I disagree, because I enjoy them all the same....

I mean, if starting last year is considered "late," then I'm also behind, because I only started reading things a few years ago lmao! But it's never too late when fandoms are still booming (for better or worse). So I see we're finishing out the mxtx novels.

MDZS

Favorite Character: Wei Wuxian

Favorite Arc: all Drunk Lan Wangji encounters!

Character I Think is Underrated: Lan Wangji, if i have to hear “he’s boring” from people who can’t read one more time…

Character I Think is Overrated: all of the antagonists and villains. Jiang Cheng is not "single mother!jiujiu," he is just a bitchless Wen Chao. Jin Guangyao is not "poor little Meng Yao forced to do things against his will," he is a a calculating murderer who will scheme against, betray, and kill anyone who stands between him and ultimate power. Madam Yu is not a "girlboss" (unless we accept the real meaning of that word, which is a woman who gains power by ingratiating herself into oppressive systems as the female alternative to corrupt male leaders), she is a domestic abuser who made every single person in her family and husband's clan miserable.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Wangxian

Something I Love About the Book: I love the way this book is adamant about good always eventually being rewarded. That even if the outcome of doing good was terrible, that does not make the effort wasted or useless. Lan Wangji protecting Wei Wuxian at Nightless City was worth it even if he was almost killed for it, because it made sure that the yin tiger tally did not end up in the Jin Clan's hands as a completed weapon. Wei Wuxian saving the Wen was worth it even though he was killed for it, because A-Yuan got to live. Wen Qing and Wen Ning saving Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian was worth it even though Jiang Cheng betrayed them in the end, because their clan still got to live through its last descendant. None of their actions were met with immediate rewards, but the larger implications of them led to better outcomes than had they just kept to themselves and the status quo of corruption, as everyone else had.

SVSSS (my favorite of the three 🤗)

Favorite Character: Luo Binghe, hands down

Favorite Arc: Holy Mausoleum Arc, cause y'all (Shen Qingqiu 😒) gonna stop falsey accusing my baby, today!

Character I Think is Underrated: Bing-mei version of Luo Binghe, not because he's "unpopular," per se, but because mainstream fandom's perception of him seems to be that he is just Bing-ge who cries, and this is a complete mischaracterization of his character based on popular fanon. I see too much hate for him in this fandom because of it

Character I Think is Overrated: Shen Jiu. The man was a child abuser and died to one of his victims because he chose to be a child abuser. There is nothing tragic or unfair about that. Leave that man in the ether where he'll hopefully never have a chance to harm another person again.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Bingqiu

Something I Love About the Book: Shen Qingqiu. The man is trying his damndest to do right in what he considers a doomed narrative, but the moment he realizes that his efforts have actually made things worse, he immediately pivots his actions. He never tries to justify himself, deflect from criticism, or misplace responsibility. He has one goal in mind, and that is to make as many people's lives as he possibly can better than what they originally ended up as.

[veliseraptor]

i'm in a very specific phase right now where i'm only reading jiang cheng-centric fics and then i thought, what has lise written? because i tend to run into your fics even if it's not on purpose (and they're always so good!) and i noticed that two of your fics (which are also not posted that far apart) have lots of Feelings about a lotus pond in the burial mounds, which... wow, talk about heart-wrenching. i'm not very familiar with the exact details of the novel yet so is this something from canon? i know you mostly talk about the yi city cast so i'm not sure whether this is unwelcome but what was it about the lotus pond and what it means for the twin prides that captured your interest so strongly? what do you think it means for jiang cheng to see the tangible evidence of that fact that, in his heart, wei wuxian had not forsaken them? sorry for the long, rambling ask!

I do indeed mostly talk about Yi City these days but I have a deep and abiding affection in my heart for Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and their relationship. it's such a miserable mess. love that.

as far as the lotus pond goes - I don't recall it being a thing in the novel (though I'd have to go back and check to be sure) but it is definitely a thing from CQL, which is where I pulled it from. there it is very explicitly Wei Wuxian trying to bring a piece of home/familiarity to the Burial Mounds, that to everyone's astonishment actually works.

and hoo boy is that symbolically weighty, which was why I used it there! because it is Wei Wuxian bringing a piece of symbolic home with him (because he can't completely leave home behind, even as he cuts himself off from Jiang Sect in order to protect them), and for Jiang Cheng to witness that it is a symbol that Wei Wuxian didn't just ditch and never look back, but that there was still some attachment there, struggling to survive amidst the ruin of everything else. That Wei Wuxian put in the work to grow lotuses in an inhospitable environment, that he wanted them there badly enough to make the effort - and yet he also (from Jiang Cheng's perspective) walked away so easily, left their family behind without hesitation.

the way I put it in one of the fics I know you're thinking of (no flower can bloom for a hundred days):

It shouldn’t be here. Someone would have had to plant it. Someone would have to have wanted it here, to have wanted badly enough to put in the work to nurture it, coax it to grow from poisoned soil. There was a pond like this in Jinlintai, Jiang Cheng thought. Splendid, well-kept. A-jie had loved it. It’s not home, she’d said, but it’s a piece of it. When I miss it too badly, I can sit looking at the lotuses and think of you, and a-Xian, and feel closer to you both.

it's a very loaded and emotionally potent symbol for both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and that makes it very fun to use, basically. because at that point, of course, it's too late; and also, at that point, how is he meant to reconcile that evidence with the fact that Wei Wuxian did leave, and his anger at Wei Wuxian for all the death that comes after, including his own?

he can't. and that's one of the things that has Jiang Cheng so fucked up about Wei Wuxian, for all the years he spends looking for him.

[frogizz]

The Untamed Mind Dump (Spoilers duh)

(I have yet to read the novel for MDZS, and I am on Episode 47 of The Untamed so I want to do another mind dump like last time)

Jin Guangyao, I've been suspicious of him ever since I saw that face of his (I am not calling the actor ugly or anything like that, I can acknowledge its the acting that made him look suscpious not his actual face.) But I didn't excpect for him to be that sick of a human being.

Wei Wuxian being the scapegoat all over again

Damn these people love to gossip

I forgot about Wei Wuxian offering his Golden Core to Jiang Cheng

I miss Jiang Yanli bro

I also miss Wen Qing

At least I have Wen Ning, he is so awesome

I have the firm belief that while Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian are responsible for the death of Jin Zixuan, I know damn well Jiang Yanli's blood is not on Wei Wuxian's hands. Heck, I kind of think even though Wei Wuxian was the cause of Jin Zixuan's death, that that situation was obviously curated from the start, there was no intention to kill anyone that day because Wei Wuxian was doing this all in self defense. (Still sad that Jin Zixuan had to be a casualty).

I legit don't remember Su She before episode 45

The way I had to pause, sit up, stand up, walk around when that lady revealed Jin Guangyao tortured his father like that and what he did to Qin Su??? OH MY GOOOODDDDDDDD

Lan Wanji, you're the best supporter and best friend ever (I know in the novel he's Wei Wuxian's lover but in The Untamed their relationship is still amazing as best friends).

Wei Wuxian is such a great leader and protected those teens well (most of them are teens right? they all seemed kinda young)

I feel so bad for Jin Ling, all of his family's dirty laundry being aired out from both sides because his (defected) martial uncle is infamous for doing dirty tricks and is the supposed one who killed his parents, his maternal uncle being really hard on him, his paternal uncle being absolute scum and him doing things worse than what Wei Wuxian was ever accused for, and then to top it all off, he is constantly bullied.

To add to that, Jin Ling's outbursts are to be expected, he's just like his maternal uncle, really emotional. Jiang Cheng has had his outbursts of anger and aggressiveness (verbal and/or physical) and this could be the only way Jin Ling knows how to express himself.

At first I thought Jin Ling was an arrogant and stupid spoiled brat but I just want to hug this poor kid, the trauma of not having his parents and knowing that they died brutal deaths, the bullying, just everything. Just let him have a nice and warm blanket while snuggling with Fairy for once, please?

Speaking of Fairy, can people stop threatening the dog please? Like, they're such a good boy/girl (Netflix subtitles swapped them at somepoint from he to she and then it so I have no idea).

I WAS CRYING WHEN LAN SIZHUI STARTED TO REMEMBER HIS PAST AND THEN WEN NING WAS TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH HIM BRUH I WAS UGLY CRYING, SOBBING, THEY'RE FAMILY, THEY DESERVE TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER, THE LAST OF THE WEN FAMILY AAAA

I am such a sucker for reunited families, families with close bonds, found families, I don't know why, but it strikes me in the heart in such a painful and joyful way.

Zewu Jun, I always have mad respect for this man and I understand how he needs to make his own judgement and not only trust the words of others, I just can't blame him for that. But man was I afraid that he betrayed everyone by actually being 100% on Jin Guangyao's side knowing everything he did in episode 46, but he looked as confused and weirded out as ever so thankfully he isn't on his side anymore, I love this dude, I'm his biggest supporter.

I'll make each of these things their own post because I have so much more I want to say.

[lgbtlunaverse]

In an echo of sorts on my "I want post canon wwx to have complicated feelings on jgy" post, though in a different way, I would love to see post-canon Jiang Cheng having some seriously complex feelings to unpack about Wen Ning and Sizhui.

Like. The entire cultivation world has to answer for what happened to the Wen Remnants, there is not one person singularly responsible (though things would have been so much easier if we got rid of jin guangshan earlier. alas.) But of all those people in either siege Jiang Cheng is the only one who actually met them before on the burial mounds, at peace. And while the siege was happening he was very much not thinking about the overall ethics, mostly busy with the fact that his brother in law and sister were dead. And after Wei Wuxian's death I have to imagine not much "productively working through feelings surrounding wwx" of any kind was done.

But now he's back. And with it all the other shit that got repressed.

And cql canon very handily present an opportunity for the complicated feelings with the chengqing and all but even in novel canon uh... Wei Wuxian's back. And Wen Ning is back. And Lan Sizhui is the toddler that Jiang Cheng met and thought was dead for 13 years, a death he would have personally been involved in. And he's his nephew's friend. And also the teenager who's been fascilating extremely tilted and antagonistic conversations between him and Lan Wangji for years now. That kid. You could have killed that kid. You almost did.

And Wen Ning strongly dislikes him now, in a way that is deeply painful and interesting for both of them, but any of Sizhui's and Jiang Cheng's interactions have had no reaosn to be anything but polite and cordial. Pretty sure Jiang Cheng as of the end of the story doesn't even KNOW Sizhui is a Wen but a-yuan and wen ning aren't gonna seperate anytime soon and jin ling will know which means eventually he'll probably find out and... I don't know, you look at a kid your nephew's age and realize he is one of a handful of people still alive who knows what your sister's soup tasted like, and that you've personally helped murder his family. Not to even mention him being wangji's ward and wangxian considering him family meaning that... if you look at it from a certain angle (and accepted several truths about wei wuxian and who you are to each other that you are not willing to admit) that's your other nephew.

(And again in cql-verse that's the little cousin and brother of the woman you wanted to marry at one point so haha that's cool another family you never had and lost anyway have fun thinking about that!)

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

🔥 Do you think WWX and JC would make up after canon? I personally don't, I think WWX made his boundaries clear but I'd like to hear your takes and reasoning!

No I don't, I've spoken on what I think of this in a similar post some time ago so I'll repost that here again.

I think what was shown within the novel, was as true of a “reconciliation” as the two could have gotten between them.

Wei WuXian, “Uh, I think it’s best if you… also stop keeping it on your mind. I know you’ll definitely always keep it on your mind, but, how should I say it…” He held onto Lan WangJi’s hand, saying to Jiang Cheng, “Right now, I do really think… it’s all in the past. It’s been too long. There’s no need to struggle with it any longer.”

This is Wei Wuxian extending the only thing he can do between them, which is letting things settle in peace, move on safely, to start somewhere new in both of their lives without the other. Wei Wuxian had never wanted Jiang Cheng’s thanks for what he had chosen to do, he had done it out of love, which for Wei Wuxian can’t be measured in debts owed. He is urging Jiang Cheng to let go of a past that will only haunt him unhappily, they can’t gain whatever had been lost. And I think Wei Wuxian had long known that before Jiang Cheng given he does not treat Jiang Cheng and he the same as he once did and had drawn a line of boundaries between each other well before Guanyin Temple. Note that he never once calls Jiang Cheng “shidi” after the timeskip as he once affectionately had.

Wei Wuxian does not ask for apologies to himself, he tells Jiang Cheng to apologize for his remarks to Lan Wangji more than once due his own sense of loyalties for those that extend their kindness to him as his own shame doesn’t take precedent.

Wei WuXian took the flute. Remembering that Jiang Cheng was the one who brought it, he turned over there and commented casually, “Thanks.” He waved Chenqing, “I’ll… be keeping this?”

Jiang Cheng glanced at him, “It was yours in the first place.”

After a moment of hesitation, his lips moved slightly, as though he wanted to say something else. However, Wei WuXian had already turned to Lan WangJi. Seeing this, Jiang Cheng remained silent.

By this point hours later Wei Wuxian is once again subconsciously showing where he has drawn the line. Taking to heart what he had said they should do, not take what had once happened to heart anymore and stop thinking about it. And once Wei Wuxian has made something clear he follows through with exactly what he had said he would do.

I think Wei Wuxian had made his intentions known, and as he says later he would rather remember the kindness and happiness in his life than the worst of it. He doesn’t need a reconciliation, he is with the family he has found and made for himself without being pushed away and takes the unconditional love that is offered to him. I had once likened his inquires in the extras like how someone would about an old past friend, of course you would ask about their well-being and hope the best, but that does not mean you want to ever really see them again in person after that relationship was shut and closed. It is bittersweet, but broken friendships always feel like that, a piece of someone will always care about who they used to be close to and Wei Wuxian was always very caring in his sentimentality even with the bad. But he does not crave for anything else from Jiang Cheng any longer as he has found his happiness with who he wanted.

As for Jiang Cheng, I think he needs to finally learn to ultimately be by himself and learn to be himself without his hold onto past dead hopes. He had built his reputation on that in a world that is ultimately moving on and changing while he stagnated in his unchanging hate for 13 years. But he no longer had that tether to continue it on any longer. His life didn’t end with Wei Wuxian’s death, and it didn’t end when he fully confronted Wei Wuxian with his hate. He’s given a chance to be out of what he thought was forever Wei Wuxian’s shadow, and personally I think, even if he “loved” Wei Wuxian, he never truly liked him as he never tried to understand Wei Wuxian as a person.

There is a lot of matters that can’t be buried between them, as people they are polar opposites in what they want and cherish. They are not what the other needs in their life. I think Jiang Cheng’s lesson is to move past a life that he had made a habit of to be selfish and Wei Wuxian was a passive catalyst that had helped him to fester that. Sometimes, it is just simply the better option to leave each other and move on without the possibility of being friend’s for ones own peace. And reconciliation isn’t always as satisfying as a fairy tale in real life, nor should it be an award for the bare minimum show of humanity to another.

They do not understand the other's way of living. You cannot continue a relationship without understanding what the other needs or their views of life. They will be at a forever impasse because repayment and debts is what they grew up giving the other. Jiang Cheng still barely is able to understand why Wei Wuxian did not say anything, because bringing up that sacrifice would be breaking his soul. To reveal such a secret would shatter the happiness that Wei Wuxian finally earned by himself. It would be dragging Wei Wuxian back into a relationship based upon transactional favors and being granted live in return based on that again, while being able to take it away as Jiang Cheng saw fit.

[wangxianficrecs]

💙on restitution by glitteringmoonlight

💙on restitution

by glitteringmoonlight

M, 98k, wangxian

Summary: When Wei Wuxian regains consciousness, he is in a bed. A real, proper bed, not the slab he called a bed in his cave in the Burial Mounds. Jiang Cheng is glowering above him. Wei Wuxian doesn't die during the siege of the Burial Mounds. Rather, he is captured in secret and confined at Lotus Pier. Things change accordingly.

Mojo's comments: In which jc is entirely unhinged, and after the siege of the burial mounds, imprisons wwx and a-yuan for 13 years (the child is threatened to ensure wwx's good behavior). Wwx eventually finds a way for a-yuan to escape (although a seal has been placed on him by jc that renders him unable to communicate about wwx or the captivity) and sends him to Gusu to find Hanguang Jun. It's a year after that when mxy tries his ritual and gets… a whole, living yiling patriarch, who is very grateful for his surprise breakout. Events more or less follow canon, but with all the differences that would have come from that one major change in events… and also wwx in a dress pretending to be mxy's sister. The biggest ripple effect might be that wangxian get together sooner and with less angst. Their relationship is very tender, with lwj doing everything he can to help, and make amends, and hopefully get a little revenge on jc as a side dish. POV is primarily wangxian, but we do get a delightful opportunity to see the ljy's perspective on everything past and present. *If you are worried about torture and captivity, you should know that it only happens in the very first chapter, and none of it is graphic. Although jc is definitely psycho.

Kay's comments: I love this canon-divergence story; it serves the perfect angst and hurt/comfort! Wei Wuxian and A-Yuan get imprisoned by Jiang Cheng after the First Siege on the Burial Mounds and Wei Wuxian tries his best to raise A-Yuan well despite the circumstances and eventually manages to send him to safety to Gusu. Thanks to this, Lan Wangji learns that Wei Wuxian is alive, but A-Yuan isn't able to tell where they were imprisoned, because Jiang Cheng carved arrays into their prison which prevented that. Mo Xuanyu summons Wei Wuxian as per canon, but actually summons alive Wei Wuxian and stays alive as well - which I love for him. Wangxian get together earlier and their relationship is very tender and I live for it, as well as A-Yuan and Wei Wuxian's relationship. Jin Ling is such a good bean too. Even before he learns the truth, he knows it's not just the way Jiang Cheng treats Wei Wuxian and he helps despite thinking that Wei Wuxian murdered both his parents in cold blood. The story follows the novel-canon very closely and integrates the divergence-points seamlessly and in the end, Jiang Cheng gets what he deserves as well.

Excerpt: He hugs his child goodbye, in a way that is reminiscent of that terrible time the Burial Mounds had been sieged and their family had perished, kisses him on the forehead, and tells him to run, hoping that this time, there will be a better outcome for A-Yuan, at the very least. “Go to Gusu,” Wei Wuxian says. “Find Hanguang-jun. He is a good man, he will protect you.” He thinks of Lan Zhan buying A-Yuan toys, he thinks of him buying them a meal, he thinks of the kindness Lan Zhan had shown and thinks, even if he really did hate Wei Wuxian, he wouldn’t hurt A-Yuan. Even if he had been ready to call for Wei Wuxian’s death, condemn him alongside the rest of the cultivation world, he wouldn’t hurt an innocent child, wouldn’t do anything to harm A-Yuan. “I don’t know if he will remember you,” he says as he smooths A-Yuan’s hair back with trembling hands, “But tell him who you are. He will not let anything happen to you.” A-Yuan protests, but Wei Wuxian is unrelenting. A-Yuan leaves.

canon-divergence, dark jiang cheng, not for jiang cheng fans, captivity, angst with a happy ending, no reconcilitation though, crossdressing, non-graphic torture, violence, single parent wei wuxian, adorable juniors, doting lan wangji, mo xuanyu lives, sharing a bed, top lan wangji, bottom wei wuxian, love confessions, first time, golden core reveal, pov multiple, intimacy, tenderness, parent-child relationship, sort of follows the novel-canon plot, @glitteringmoonlight

[spriteofmushrooms]

I am the anon about your jc's favorite things. If you want write even an essay about him, I would read it. I love him and he deserves more appreciation posts

Here's the 3100 word essay I wrote to introduce @lokorum to Jiang Cheng for a commission, which turned out to be unnecessary since they'd watched the donghua, so then we spent several months talking about Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng and how cute a-Ling is.

It likely has a few errors in the timeline since (1) the novel is Like That and (2) it was a few months after I read it.

If you have anything specific you want to know my thoughts on, though, let me know. My brain is 80% Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng is a warlord and cultivator from ancient China. He was raised to inherit and run the YunmengJiang cultivation sect, but his father was never pleased with him and his mother constantly compared him to his martial brother, Wei Wuxian. The only person who ever treated Jiang Cheng with unconditional love was his older sister, Jiang Yanli, and even she seemed to prefer Wei Wuxian. But, as much as this hurt, Jiang Cheng could understand; after all, he loved Wei Wuxian the most, too.

In his personal life, Jiang Cheng devoted himself to protecting Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli as much as he could. While he was always behind Wei Wuxian, he worked on his cultivation, martial arts, and education doggedly. He always tried to stay aware of the political dangers surrounding them.

For example, when Wei Wuxian met the heir of another sect and his bodyguard, Jiang Cheng warned him not to insult the heir Wen Chao and to stay clear of Wen Zhuliu, who was capable of destroying a cultivator's golden core. Since Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian's swords were captured by the Wen sect, and the political miasma was growing more tense as the Wen sect degraded the other sects more and more, Jiang Cheng wanted to ensure that YunmengJiang didn't become a target. Then Wei Wuxian stepped in to defend another disciple, and Wen Zhuliu started towards him. Jiang Cheng, weaponless, charged Wen Zhuliu and Wen Chao with such a fierce expression that Wen Zhuliu ran and Wen Chao called a retreat.

Once they returned home, the tension only grew worse. The Wen forced every sect to stop night hunting, so that all of their disciples were recalled home. Until one evening, the Wen came to Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng's mother bound Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian with Zidian and forced them to leave via boat as she and the disciples fought to the death. When JC and WWX found JC's father, he listened to them carefully, rebound them with Zidian, and took his remaining disciples to Lotus Pier.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, both 17, were the only survivors. Jiang Yanli was away, fortunately, but they don't know if the sect she was sheltered in had also been hit.

Jiang Cheng fights Wei Wuxian, strangling him in a field as he screams that Wei Wuxian brought the Wens' attention to Lotus Pier. After, exhausted, hurting, they walk to the nearest village. Wei Wuxian offers to go out and buy food, since Jiang Cheng is a more valuable target. Jiang Cheng agrees.

As Wei Wuxian sneaks out, Jiang Cheng follows him. It's a good thing he did, too, because he can see a group of Wen soldiers closing in on Wei Wuxian. In a moment, Jiang Cheng leaves hiding, catches their attention, and runs--but he's exhausted. He didn't expect to escape, though, so as they catch him, he's only grateful that Wei Wuxian should now be able to continue on. They take him back to Lotus Pier. They torture him, destroy his golden core, and leave him to die. Jiang Cheng will never tell Wei Wuxian about this.

What Wei Wuxian thinks... is that Jiang Cheng went back to Lotus Pier on his own to get his parents' bodies. Which is so stupid! But Wei Wuxian has always been faster, so he should be able to catch Jiang Cheng... And he runs all night... But somehow, he never even catches sight of Jiang Cheng.

After Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian save an unconscious Jiang Cheng, they take him to Wen Ning's sister, Wen Qing, a doctor. When Jiang Cheng wakes up, all he sees are their Wen robes, and he kicks them away from him. Wen Qing uses an acupuncture needle to put him under again. WWX, WN, and WQ spend days together as coreless Jiang Cheng remains in the coma. WWX begs WQ to transfer his golden core into JC, something that has never been done before. WQ says there's a 50% chance of failure, even death. WWX doesn't care; and he eventually gets his way.

Wen Qing removes the needle. When Jiang Cheng wakes up, only Wei Wuxian is there. WWX tells JC that he knows of a mystical way to restore his golden core, but JC must be blindfolded, and he must follow WWX's every order. JC trusts him, because in the end, Jiang Cheng always trusts Wei Wuxian.

After, Wei Wuxian says, we will meet at the base of the mountain. Don't be late!

For two days, Wei Wuxian stays awake as Jiang Cheng is once more put under. Wen Ning holds Wei Wuxian down, and Wen Qing pulls his golden core out and places it in Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian forces them all to secrecy, because Jiang Cheng must never know.

A note on golden cores and where they're located in the body, the lower dantian: it contains the will to live. Because Jiang Cheng's lower dantian was destroyed, he had no will to live without a golden core to heal the damage. Because Wei Wuxian's lower dantian was scarred, his desire to live was damaged.

Jiang Cheng makes it to the foot of the mountain. He waits, and waits, and waits, and waits, and waits, and waits, until finally he becomes convinced that he will have to search for Wei Wuxian himself. For three months, Jiang Cheng searches the jianghu for him...

...because Wei Wuxian, cored, weak, exhausted, had been captured by Wen Chao. Branded. Tortured. And then thrown into the Burial Mounds, the site of an ancient battle where thousands and thousands of bodies were left behind. Only ghosts, fierce corpses, and Wei Wuxian could survive there. He learns how to cultivate using resentful energy, the energy of demons and the dead. And when Wei Wuxian walks out of the Burial Mounds holding a black flute, he stalks down Wen Chao.

So that's how Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng reunite: after Wei Wuxian has spent weeks killing every Wen around Wen Chao one by one, forcing Wen Chao to eat parts of his own legs. Forcing Wen Zhuliu to watch his charge diminishes in front of his eyes. Forcing Wen Zhuliu to accept he can't protect Wen Chao, not anymore.

Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian finish Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu together. Jiang Cheng hugs him, but Wei Wuxian doesn't hug back. Jiang Cheng offers Wei Wuxian's sword, which Jiang Cheng liberated from the Wens and has been carrying for months; but Wei Wuxian has no golden core and can no longer wield his sword.

But obviously, Wei Wuxian can't say anything...

What follows is war. Along with many of the other sects, YunmengJiang fight the Wen. Wei Wuxian, with his power over the dead, is instrumental in their victory; Jiang Cheng's tactics point him where to hit.

But when the fighting is over, Wei Wuxian is destroying himself. He doesn't do any of his duties to the sect, so Jiang Cheng picks up his slack. He's always drunk; he's pompous and aggressive. He insults whoever he wants to insult. He says he'll kill whoever he wants to kill. Jiang Cheng makes excuses for him, covers for him. Jiang Cheng reaches out, again and again. What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?

Wei Wuxian, hating what he is now without a golden core, poisoned by resentful energy, pushes Jiang Cheng away.

Things get worse, and worse, and worse, until Wei Wuxian really does kill their former allies: some of the Jin guards at a concentration camp where surviving Wen cultivators were being forced to labor and were being tormented by the guards on top of that. Wei Wuxian takes the Wen survivors to the Burial Mounds, raises a corpse army to guard them, and proceeds to imitate the tyrant Wen Ruohan who everyone just got finished killing together.

The other sect leaders pressure Jiang Cheng to disown Wei Wuxian, but Jiang Cheng says that he will pay reparations for the guards Wei Wuxian killed. In public, he defends Wei Wuxian as best he can at 19, the youngest sect leader, the only one without a council of elders, the only one without any significant ally. But Jiang Cheng is alarmed. Jiang Cheng goes to visit Wei Wuxian and beg him to come home. Jiang Cheng says that the world is starting to turn on Wei Wuxian, and that it won't matter if what he did was right, because all outsiders see is what they fear. "If you continue to defend the Wens, I can't defend you..."

...But Wei Wuxian isn't only defending some Wens. He's defending Wen Qing and Wen Ning, who saved Jiang Cheng. He raised Wen Ning, who was killed by the Jin guards, as a favor to Wen Qing. Wen Ning is now a fierce corpse, but he's still himself... mostly.

And Wei Wuxian couldn't be in Lotus Pier anymore. He couldn't continue to do nothing; he couldn't stand the constant reminders of what he gave up. He couldn't look at Jiang Cheng, healthy and strong, and resent him anymore.

Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng to disown him. That they'll have a public battle. That the world will know that Wei Wuxian and his Wens stand apart.

They do, and...

...Jiang Cheng brings Jiang Yanli in her wedding clothes to visit Wei Wuxian in secret. Jiang Cheng suggests that Jin Zixuan (Yanli's future husband) and Jiang Yanli let Wei Wuxian give their firstborn son, Jin Ling, his courtesy name (aka what baby will be known as when he's an adult). Jiang Cheng, Jin Zixuan, and Jiang Yanli conspire to spread positive news about Wei Wuxian and his people; they invite him to JZX's and JYL's son's first month party. As if they're saying, "Look, Wei Wuxian isn't scary! We trust him with our baby. How can he be dangerous?"

Unfortunately, some of his enemies found out. They ambush Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning in the same area Wen Ning was killed in. They fight. Once Jin Zixuan hears from a little bird that they're going to be attacked, he flies as fast as he can, but he's too late. Jin Zixuan tries to calm the situation; the others aren't calmed. Wei Wuxian, three years into being poisoned by resentful energy, loses control of Wen Ning. Wen Ning, no longer the sweet, shy boy he once was; Wen Ning, powered by resentment; Wen Ning, who was killed and tormented by men who wore the same colors Jin Zixuan wears... Wen Ning punches a hole through Jin Zixuan's chest, killing him instantly.

Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning flee.

Jin Zixuan was the heir to the LanlingJin sect. His father demands the other sect leaders attend a pledge meeting. We've tolerated Wei Wuxian and his unnatural cultivation for too long; my son is dead. We must all hunt him down...

...And Jiang Cheng, who had to comfort his sister when they found out that the love of her life had been killed by Wei Wuxian, is silent for the first time. He doesn't defend Wei Wuxian. How can he? He has no idea what's going on. He's been lied to for years. As far as Jiang Cheng knows, Wei Wuxian still has his golden core; as far as Jiang Cheng knows, Wei Wuxian could have stopped using resentful energy any time he wanted.

Which means... as far as Jiang Cheng knows, Wei Wuxian chose to not help Jiang Cheng run the sect. Which means Wei Wuxian chose not to carry his sword. Which means Wei Wuxian chose not to stay with Jiang Cheng. Wei Wuxian chose it all. But Wei Wuxian said he could control it. And why wouldn't Jiang Cheng trust Wei Wuxian, who could always do anything he thought of? If all of it was a choice, if Wei Wuxian can control it all, why wouldn't Jiang Cheng trust him?

Jiang Cheng says nothing. He has no words to defend Wei Wuxian anymore. Because as far as Jiang Cheng knows, Wei Wuxian killed Jin Zixuan on purpose.

YunmengJiang can no longer stand with Wei Wuxian, even in secret. But Jiang Cheng can't stand the idea of anyone else facing Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng leads the siege...

Jiang Yanli can't stand living in a world where her husband was killed by her sweet Wei Wuxian. She goes to the battlefield and cries out for Wei Wuxian, who has once more lost control of the resentful ghosts and corpses he's called to fight. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian go to her.

One of Wei Wuxian's fierce corpses wounds her. She collapses; Jiang Cheng catches her. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli stare at each other as Jiang Cheng tries to stop the bleeding. Seeing an opportunity, a cultivator whose brother Wei Wuxian killed other strikes down at Wei Wuxian--who is pushed out of the way by Jiang Yanli. She dies in Jiang Cheng's arms.

Wei Wuxian flees. Jiang Cheng follows. Wei Wuxian uses the last of his will to force the fierce corpses to tear him apart. Jiang Cheng can't stop it. He sees the whole thing. When he leaves the battlefield, he takes the black flute Wei Wuxian forged in the Burial Mounds; and he takes Jiang Yanli's body.

He goes to LanlingJin, where his baby nephew Jin Ling is. And somehow, Jiang Cheng, even though he has no rights to Jin Ling--even though he has no allies--even though he's still young--somehow, Jiang Cheng leaves LanlingJin with Jin Ling and a split custody agreement. Jin Ling would be raised half in YunmengJiang and half in LanlingJin. (I personally headcanon that Jin Ling was raised by Jiang Cheng until he's 7, at which point they start to switch off.)

During this period of Jiang Cheng's life, it's whispered that he has no heart. How could he, when everyone knows he killed Wei Wuxian? Two of the villains talk about Jiang Cheng. They say that he's obsessed with Wei Wuxian, that he doesn't truly believe Wei Wuxian could be dead. One of them, a demonic cultivator known for sadistic killings, laughs and calls Jiang Cheng a mad dog. A rabid bitch.

[khattikeri]

Mdzs for the shipping grid? 👀👀👀

YESSS here we are! v surprised at how strong my opinions are for this fandom but probably shouldn't be sldkfjlksd

**I COMPLETELY FORGOT THE YI CITY CREW ON THIS BUT I DON"T WANT TO DELETE THE IMAGE AND RE-ADD IT INKLDSFHKLDSJ so

- xue/xiao compels me and is in the middle of the makes sense line - song/xiao is closer to makes sense but compels me a bit less - song/xue/xiao is somewhere in between them.

further explanations of all other pairings under the cut!

quadrant by quadrant bc my explanations are Long for this one

out of the way: wang/xian undoubtedly peak! xuan/li v cute, love em. xi/yao is my favorite of the possible 3zun pairings, they're just too juicy and such good narrative foils to wang/xian...

nie/yao is also fun to me because of how much tension and strife they have.

i like nie/lan the least of all possible 3zun pairings just bc i like the conflict jgy brings to the table LOL

even though zhui/ling is the most popular junior pairing i... am not a huge fan of it? they're not blood relatives at all but both are still family to wwx in ways that make me feel weird about them romancing each other. in no war/wens are good aus i'd be more into it...

jingzhui isn't on the chart but they're also both inner lan clan members. so. weird to me! i like ling/yi best. they banter a lot but still get along well as friends

i can see why people are compelled by wen ning and wwx. i love their fucked up codependency too. i just don't see it romantically

i also see why people might ship cheng/xian, i just sincerely think their relationship is most compelling as siblings or pseudo-family due to the social class tensions.

chang/mian is quite rare just bc both characters are so minor but like... god can you imagine all the jiang cheng & wwx parallels. pointing. those are their dads

sang/cheng is like... most of the time it feels very pair the spares-esque. BUT. they both have a lot of similarities underneath the surface and if people tap into that i do like it. BUT (again) i just really prefer it platonic. jiang cheng is like peak "this man is aroace and does not know what either of those words are" to me. celibacysweep and all that

sang/yao. honorable mention to my favorite fucked up ship that literally nobody ships (including myself!). i can't like em romantically, only enjoy the dynamic, but it's so fun to think about. like spy x spy but worse.

and finally stuff that i don't like

no real reason for sang/yu, i just don't see em that way. i'm too novel-only to like wen qing/jc.

LWJ/anyone else feels too much like blasphemy. similar to shipping hua cheng tgcf with people who aren't xie lian LOL

AND FINALLY. THE MDZS SHIP I LIKE LEAST. <3 </3 xi/.cheng

this is like peak pair the spares to me. they're literally coworkers. they're just two people who lead clans and only talk business with each other. they aren't friends, they don't even make smalltalk. their relationship is the equivalent of sometimes bumping into a linkedin connection at the grocery store. come on. COME ON. they have zero personal ties except for the fact that their brothers are deeply in love and have a torrid romance spanning decades

for lxc especially this just feels like such a weak ship to me bc you have TWO whole other people he has fascinating, actually existing dynamics with (nmj and jgy), and xi/yao especially has so so so many parallels to wang/xian. 3zun ships have so much angst and what-ifs and there's so much more meat to it.

see also my thing about jc just... honestly i cannot see him romantically working out with anyone. nobody. whatsoever. this is a man for whom romance is not the solution, ever

so i can't. it literally drives me crazy. i cannot make sense out of xi/cheng whatsoever it doesn't compel me one bit and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say i hate it when there are other ships right there ahahahghdskljfdslk

[sholb]

anyway i think if we were to actually analyze wei wuxian's death scene frame by frame, we'd find that jiang cheng's sword strike did kill wei wuxian even though he didn't stab him like wei wuxian seemed to expect. here is wei wuxian's face as jiang cheng winds his arm back. wei wuxian closes his eyes in anticipation for a strike:

[id: two screenshots from ep 33 of the untamed. the first image shows jiang cheng with his sword hand reeled back, about to stab downwards at wei wuxian. the second shows wei wuxian with his eyes closed in resignation and acceptance.]

and here is his face when jiang cheng stabs the cliff face:

[id: another screenshot from ep 33 of the untamed. in this image, wei wuxian is making an expression of distressed shock after jiang cheng stabs and twists his sword into the rocks beneath lan wangji.]

aside from killing wei wuxian, it's not made explicitly clear what jiang cheng was trying to do by stabbing the cliff, but whatever wei wuxian (probably rightly) perceived it to be was worse to wei wuxian than the idea of being merely struck down. i think the theory that wei wuxian was worried that the cliff edge wouldn't hold and would take both him and lan wangji over is interesting and probably close to correct. this fits in really nicely with the novel's idea of jiang cheng understanding wei wuxian's weaknesses and using them to orchestrate a siege; jiang cheng is constantly deriding wei wuxian for "playing the hero," very much especially when lan wangji is involved. his strike is too close to lan wangji's injured arm, the twist of his blade does something too nebulously dangerous for comfort, and wei wuxian has never been one to put his own safety before another's. of course he lets go. and i think this would be an interesting take on jiang cheng directly contributing to wei wuxian's death without being the one to actually physically kill him—which i also think is an important and interesting character choice for jiang cheng, where wei wuxian's death is both a murder and a suicide, where jiang cheng can simultaneously claim the glory of killing him and yet know it was ultimately wei wuxian who followed through. it's so complex and layered and kind of funny, that the way jiang cheng kills wei wuxian reinvents jiang cheng's insecurities, because if jiang cheng is called a hero for killing wei wuxian, technically wei wuxian is also the hero by definition! and i think, even though jiang cheng knows what choice wei wuxian will make, he hates him for making it, for sticking to his values, and for playing the hero again.

so, not only do i think this reading is the most accurate to cql canon, i think that it adds even more depth to the three characters involved. specifically for jiang cheng, but also especially for lan wangji. because not only did jiang cheng kill the love of lan wangji's life in front of him, he did it uniquely by using lan wangji against wei wuxian, by making lan wangj an instrument to kill wei wuxian with.

the bottom line is that wei wuxian only threw off lan wangji's hand when jiang cheng stabbed the cliff, which makes jiang cheng directly responsible for killing wei wuxian. i hope the odd argument that jiang cheng had nothing to do with wei wuxian's death can be put to rest lol.

[rosethornewrites]

1/10-1/24 NR, E, & M reading

Moving after this so may be a gap.

Finished

Not Rated:

Deliver Us, by b00mgh

When Wei Wuxian gives himself up before Wen Ning and Wen Qing get the chance, everyone who loved him steps in to protect the people he gave his life for.

Don't worry, they bring him back B)

rulebreaker, by straelamo

Wei Wuxian returns to Cloud Recesses, and the world is set right.

in this close hand, by twigofwillow (2nd in a series)

Just a very cozy rainy day in the greenhouse

Birthday Cakes and Bunnies, by Hauntcats

A-Yuan wants to do something special for his a-Die's birthday. Who better to help than Bunny-gege.

Explicit:

lightning in a bottle, by bigbabyjeno

“You don’t see me,” the man hisses, creeping down the corridor with his back pressed to the wall, arms spread like he’s some sort of secret agent on a top secret spy mission.

Lan Zhan watches him for a moment, trying to decide if he’s worth any concern. The man is currently crab-walking behind a row of potted ficus, though, so Lan Zhan is reasonably sure he doesn’t need to alert security about this one.

[Or; Lan Zhan is photographing a wedding when he catches someone trying to sneak in. The man claims to be the bride's brother and begs Lan Zhan to make him his assistant for the evening so he can watch his sister get married. Lan Zhan reluctantly agrees and gets a lot more than he bargained for.]

At the End of the Road, by trickybonmot

It is the stupidest, most transparently terrible idea. Wei Ying’s hand is fisted shut on the fabric of his t-shirt, twisting it up far enough to reveal a glimpse of golden-brown skin. This is the worst idea. Lan Wangji is going to say no.

“How do you imagine that would work?” he says instead.

Wei Ying gives a little half-shrug. “I guess I would jack off,” he says. “And you could, like, spot me.”

The Nines of Winter, by ArcadianMaggie

When Wei Ying misses his flight home from college for winter break, Jiang Cheng arranges a ride home—with Lan Zhan, whom Wei Ying hasn't spoken to in over two years. When the weather takes a turn for the worse, they are forced to stop for the night. Luckily, Lan Xichen's house is en route and they are able to wait out the storm. There's weather (frightful) and a fire (delightful), two rabbits and a puppy, plus Lan Zhan's emergency preparedness kit.

Snow-Covered Jingshi, by squishh

He hadn’t even realized he’d moved until he felt soft silks beneath his palm and plush lips against his own. The pull of those eyes had made him sway forward, drawn in like a spell. His hand was on Lan Wangji’s thigh, his weight pressing his hand down as he leaned against firm muscle. The heat of Lan Wangji’s lips made him feel like he was burning.

Nothing could have ever felt this good. It felt safe, and it felt dangerous. He was in danger of never wanting to do anything else but kiss this man.

______

What I imagine should have roughly happened when LWJ and WWX were in the Jingshi in episode 43 if the censorship laws weren't whack and WWX weren't so oblivious to his own emotions lol

Mature:

Get it right (this time), by AmiraAlzilu (30 chapters)

Death would be a fate too kind for Wei Wuxian. He should pay for every sin he committed.

At least that’s the only explanation he has for this impossible situation. After falling from the cliff he woke up in his 15 year old body, just before his months of study at Cloud Recesses.

So, thinking it was for the best, he decides to disappear when he was supposed to be searching for their lost invitation.

Little does he know someone else came back in time with him.

Reset, by SuperiorJello (11 chapters)

What if things went horribly wrong at the end of episode 50, and Wei Wuxian sent himself and Lan Wangji back in time to Cloud Recesses to save them?

Follows mostly CQL/The Untamed canon, but I have also read translations of the novel and seen some of the donghua, so some of that is in there too.

This fic is part of a series!

Part one only takes place in Gusu, detailing wwx and lwj's arrival in the past and the immediate repercussions thereof. It is now complete.

Part two will continue the story as our characters head to Yunmeng Jiang and forward.

Too Much To Bear, by madwriter223 (10 chapters)

Coming back to life and being immediately thrust into a quest to discover the origins of the demonic arm that had murdered nealy an entire clan overnight was not something Wei Wuxian ever thought he'd have to deal with, but it was fine. He had Lan Wangji and together they were unstoppable.

However he had no clue how to deal with discovering Nie Huaisang was apparently a wreck on the verge of collapse at any given moment. How in the world had this happened?

AKA

this is filed under 'nervous wreck nhs' in my fic folder for a reason

if i had the strength, by agloeian (6 chapters)

Jiang Cheng seethes, gripping the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know how to help you,” he admits, “so I’m sending you to the people that do.”

It nearly slips out then, the truth of the matter. Wei Wuxian opens his mouth to snap back ‘There’s no helping me, not now!’ but the words stick in his throat. Shijie is crying and Jiang Cheng is defiant and Lan Zhan is staring at him so earnestly that Wei Wuxian simply doesn’t know how to tell them all that he’s living on borrowed time.

So he doesn’t.

---

At the behest of his siblings, Wei Wuxian is sent to Gusu to recover from the strain of the Sunshot Campaign.

If only he knew how to do that.

The Yu Temper, by madwriter223 (2 chapters)

How the confrontation between Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian in episodes 27/28 could have gone if Jiang Cheng had let loose the temper he'd inherited from his mother?

or

Jiang Cheng goes apeshit on the morons he's surrounded by and fixes (nearly) everything

or

A pissed off Jiang Cheng adopts everybody, because fuck you, Wei Wuxian!

Unfinished

Not Rated:

Rise of the Peacock, by JustAWanderingBabbit

Killed at Qiongqi Pass, Jin Zixuan wakes to find himself in an old and familiar scenario; the day he and Wei Wuxian fought in Gusu Lan. The day his betrothal to Jiang Yanli came to an end.

Unsure whether or not he's dreaming, Jin Zixuan decides to seize the chance and change the future. But for that he'll need help from his bastard brother, Meng Yao.

you can have the best of me, baby, by stiltonbasket

Twelve hours after Jiang Cheng and the others escape from Mount Muxi, Wei Wuxian risks wading into the lake and discovers that the underwater passage to the stream in the maple wood has been blocked behind the tortoise’s body.

“It’s sleeping right beside the opening,” he whispers, when he and Lan Zhan are safe in a tunnel of rock too narrow for the Xuanwu’s neck and head. “Judging by the current in the water, that passage was the only way out.”

Trapped in the Xuanwu's cave with no means of escape, Lan Wangji suggests a surprising course of action to strengthen himself and Wei Wuxian for battle: dual cultivation.

The session proves successful, but despite their best efforts, Wei Wuxian's golden core yields unexpected consequences for them both.

Explicit:

unfated; unscripted, by homeybee

Lan Zhan finds Wei Ying on tinder, the first time. He isn't someone Lan Zhan knows, or he would have swiped left. It is his smile that draws him in initially, causes him to swipe right when ordinarily he would have closed his phone again, put on his pajamas, and tried properly to sleep. It is, after all, past his bedtime.

Half an hour later finds Lan Zhan, undeniably not in his pajamas, driving down the highway to the next tiny town over.

...

A series of 'first' meetings.

Discarded, by teawater

Children in Cloud Recesses are succubming to a dark curse. There's one person who may be able to help.

Time Unwinds in a Kaleidoscope of Red, by vamprav

Wei Wuxian falls through time and hits the ground in the Burial Mounds. After taking stock of his situation he decides that things will be different this time, even if it kills him, starting with that disastrous reunion with his brother and future husband.

Heart of the Beast, by WaitForTheSnitch

“Wei Ying?” Nie Mingjue prompted him gently. “Where are your parents?”

“They went on a night hunt,” Wei Ying said, a bit evasively.

“Your parents are cultivators?” Da-ge asked in surprise. “Did they leave you here while they hunted? When did they go on their night hunt?”

“Four summers ago,” Wei Ying said a bit uncomfortable.

“Four summers ago,” Nie Mingjue repeated. “What are your parents’ names?”

“My mama is Cangse Sanren and my baba is Wei Changze,” Wei Ying told him, and recognition registered in Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

“Wei Ying,” Nie Mingjue said, sounding a bit regretful, “Your parents aren’t coming back.”

Or, Nie Mingjue and Nie Huaisang run into Wei Ying while in Yiling and decide to bring him home. And it changes everything.

We met again but in a different time, by akumanomiyu

Jiang FengMian never found Wei WuXian after he lost his parents, so he spent his life on the street, alone.

He didn't have a clan to protect him and teach him how to become a true cultivator, but he still managed to grow up a strong and righteous man.

People hated him or feared him for the demonic tricks he had to learn to survive. His life wasn't easy but he lived it as he wanted.

Until one day, a good action made him discover an evil plot against the cultivator world and cross path with the Lan clan...

you'll find my heart on the mountainside, by lulu_kitty

After parting ways with Lan Wangji on the mountain path, Wei Wuxian takes some time to consider what it is that he wants with this new second chance at life.

The answer finds him coming back to Lan Wangji, his zhiji, but after they reunite and set forth to embark on their new life together, an unexpected surprise awaits them on their journey home.

Or, a post-canon CQL/Untamed getting together story: accidental baby acquisition addition.

The Communication Effect, by draechaeli

If only there was more communication, or the right kind then everything would be all right. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi might be bad when it comes to talking to each other about the important things, but they are still leagues better then the older generation that use communication like swords: concealing, revealing, and striking as they please for their own gain. From apologies, to misunderstandings, to sieges, to rumours and gossip, to cold wars, to lies, to civil wars, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi navigate the world together once their brothers make sure they’re engaged before the classes at Cloud Recesses are finished.

This fic is finished at 186k in 37 chapters + 3 extras

most barren peak and bleakest winter, by WhatTheOwlHears

He drank. Set the cup down. “I understand Wei Ying would not choose to behave that way ordinarily.”

Well that was certainly true, but it felt like a lie anyway. “Haha, yeah.” Wei Wuxian put his elbow on the table so he could put his face in his hand. “Definitely would not normally make attempts on the virtue of my dear dear friend Hanguang-jun.”

Mature:

can't find a way home, by KouriArashi

After giving away his golden core and being thrown into the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian takes his revenge on the Wen sect without crossing paths with the Sunshot Campaign.

With no trace of him found, his loved ones have no choice but to believe he died in the Burial Mounds, and go into mourning.

But then strange things start to happen around Yunmeng ... and in Lanling, Jin Guangshan has only begun to take advantage of the power vacuum left behind by the war.

Second Summer, by Anonymous

“So, this is awkward,” says Wei Ying, with a little laugh. It sounds fake. “But I think you have mistaken me for someone else.”

A year after the mysterious death of the Jin heir, Lan Wangji runs across the secret, long-lost, amnesiac love of his life while on a night-hunt.

Tragedy That Befall Upon Us, by xoxoholic

"Hey! What's this?" Jin Ling yelled, pointing at the glowing, black and red orb. Jiang Wanyin marched over to Jin Ling, but the young Jin sect leader had already touched the orb.

"Jin Ling!" Jiang Wanyin yelled in anger. If his golden core was not sealed, then Zidian would be cackling furiously.

"..Oops?" Jin Ling sheepishly smiled as he hid behind his friends. Lan Jingyi laughed at Jin Lings predicament while Lan Sizhui sighed. Ouyang Zizhen laughed with Lan Jingyi in amusement before he was hit in the back of his head by his father.

Hound's Tongue Tied Up, by Stepdavii

“I’ve figured out a way to keep us safe. Forever,” Wei Wuxian replies, still writing out all that he can think of that would possibly help.

“Oh? And whats that?” Wen Qing asks blankly.

“I’m going to make the world forget we exist.”

--

In which Wei Wuxian figures the best way to keep everyone safe and make everyones life better, he should make it so that his and Wen Remnants existence become forgotten. He just doesn't realize how much an impact doing so would be.

Dreams of Paradise, by Hauntcats

This on begins during the siege of the Burial Mound. Wei Ying is trying to destroy or nullify the tiger seal before anyone else can get it. The results don’t work out quite how he thought they would. His essence is trapped in between time where he witnesses different scenes of the lives of those he cares about. (The 13? 16? Years when he was dead.)

Then he wakes up in a place he didn't expect.

Once again, not Jiang friendly. If you don't like that, please, don't read.

Seeking Solace, by DragonHeart (Taer01), Taer01

Months after the Siege of Burial Mounds against the Yiling Patriarch, the cultivation world gets a rude awakening.

We're Alone Now, by Forever_Marie

"Did you hear, did you hear? Hanguang-jun deserted his clan"

Lan Zhan deserts the Lan Clan in favor of protecting Wei Wuxian and warns him of the pending Siege. They all run for the hills and everything is quiet for a decade until one day Xichen wanders upon him in a market in Yiling.

Impossible Remains, by Jengabears

Jiang Cheng wakes slowly to the feeling of spiritual energy swimming through his veins. Not just swimming. Singing. Flooding. He was filled with it. He didn't know if it was because he had been without any for so long or if Baoshan Sanren had chosen to make him stronger, but he had never felt so powerful in his life. It was glorious. It was everything. He felt alive again. Whole. Better than whole. He had to thank her. He had to scream his joy across the mountain. He was so infinitely grateful.

He ripped off his blindfold, turned to look around him, praises and gratitude resting on the tip of his tongue. Yet what his eyes rested on was a face he never expected to see. His joy and gratitude instantly snuffed into ashes in his mouth. His eyes widened in horror at the sight which greeted him. He wished he could take everything back. Every thought which had passed through his mind since he'd woken.

How could this happen?

OR

Wei Wuxian dies in the core transfer.

Summer Snow, by Forever_Marie

Jiang Cheng dies after Lotus Pier falls and the Jiang are no more. This leaves Wei Ying without family and a home, now and for after the war, forever shattered. He joins the Lan clan (at Wangji's insistence) to fight in the Sunshot campaign as Lan Wangji tries to fill in the cracks left behind.

[mxtxfanatic]

Jin Ling and the Curse of Escalating Abuse

Seeing the complex nature of the relationship between Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng, I wanted to cover the topic of escalating abuse of the uncle towards his nephew, as Jiang Cheng is abusive towards Jin Ling throughout the entire story but that abuse shifts as the story goes on. Note: this is not an essay about how abusive people can love their victims still. I know Jiang Cheng loves his nephew, but that love means nothing in the face of him continuously being the force that drives the young boy to danger. Love does not absolve abuse. Moving on: though many of the scenes I mention are gone over in multiple translations, I will only be using one source per scene for my argument, as none of them are worded radically different. I will, however, include the other translations under the cut for anyone who wants to see them for comparison.

In the early section of the novels, we learn two important bits of information about how Jin Ling views his maternal uncle, Jiang Cheng:

From as early as Jin Ling could remember, he had never seen Jiang Cheng’s face make the expression it was currently making. His uncle, who had led the distinguished Yunmeng Jiang Clan alone since the man had been young, had been cold, severe, and gloomy for years and years on end. Not a single lenient or merciful word left Jiang Cheng’s mouth if he could help it, nor was he ever willing to offer charity and kindness.

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

Angrily, [Jin Ling] leapt onto his feet and pulled out his sword on the spot. “How dare you hit me! Even my uncle’s never hit me!”

Surprised, Wei Wuxian said, “Really? But doesn’t he say he’s going to break your legs all the time?”

“He’s just saying that!” Jin Ling raged.

–Chapt. 24: Malice II, fanyiyi

From Jin Ling’s perspective, his maternal uncle is always acerbic and never kind, but he has never been physically abusive to Jin Ling. Plus though he often threatens Jin Ling with physical abuse–threatening to break his legs or use Zidian on him–Jin Ling considers this all talk. In fact, Jiang Cheng’s abuse of Jin Ling stays firmly in the realm of verbal and emotional for most of the story. His most common insults to throw at his nephew are about Jin Ling appearing unworthy of his position as Jin (and Jiang) heir, in almost a mimicry of how Madam Yu would tell him that he was unworthy of being the Jiang heir in comparison to Wei Wuxian:

Frowning, he said, “Jin Ling, how much time are you going to waste? Do you need me to go over there and invite you back? Look at your sorry state—why the hell haven’t you gotten back up!?”

–Chapt. 7: Pride II, fanyiyi

“‘Fine’?” Jiang Cheng said. “You look like you took a tumble in a muddy ditch—you call that ‘fine?’ Aren’t you embarrassed to be wearing your clan’s uniform? Go back and change immediately! Out with it—what did you run into today?”

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

He is also shown to have a bad habit of lashing out instead of expressing any emotion that could be considered nice, just like Jin Ling says:

Upon seeing that Jin Ling was fine, Jiang Cheng’s heart crashed back to earth like a boulder. Immediately furious, he said, “Didn’t you bring a signal? Don’t you know to fire it if you encounter something like this? Don’t try to show off! Come here!”

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

And because of Jiang Cheng’s outward lack of concern for Jin Ling’s health and safety–prefering barbs over comfort–Jin Ling refuses to be vulnerable with him, keeping his fears, concerns, disappointments, and even positive emotions like relief to himself. Outwardly, he lashes out, just like he has learned to do from his maternal uncle:

Since Jin Ling hadn’t caught the soul eating maiden, he was also angry. “Wasn’t it you who told me I had to take the thing down no matter what?! You told me if I didn’t get it, I should never come see you again!”

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

Annoyed, Jin Ling said, “I already told you, I didn’t run into anything! It was just a fall. The whole journey was a waste of time.”

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

The one who called was Jiang Cheng, who stood near the edge. Still teary-eyed, as soon as Jin Ling saw his uncle, he immediately wiped his face, sniffing. He looked here and there and finally made up his mind to fly over, landing at Jiang Cheng’s side.

Jiang Cheng grabbed him, “What happened to you? Who did this to you?!”

Jin Ling rubbed his eyes roughly, refusing to speak up.

–Chapt. 84: Loyalty, exr

Who can blame him, though? Almost every life-threatening situation Jin Ling finds himself in is a direct result of Jiang Cheng’s cruelty towards him: from attempting to fight to goddess statue without calling for help, to ending up almost suffocated in the walls of the Nie Clan Saber Hall, and even to him winding up in Yi City:

Jiang Cheng’s next words were wrapped in thorns. “Why are you still standing there? Are you waiting for prey to rush toward you and stick themselves on your sword? If you can’t capture whatever’s living in Dafan Mountain, don’t ever come see me again!”

–Chapt. 8: Pride III, fanyiyi

It seemed that the boy hadn’t come to Qinghe alone. No surprise—at Dafan Mountain, Jiang Cheng had come to support his nephew, so why wouldn’t he come this time too? Only it seemed that the uncle and nephew had gotten into an argument in Qinghe Town, which caused Jin Ling to set off for Xinglu Ridge on his own.

–Chapt. 23: Malice I, fanyiyi

It turned out that, having tricked his uncle and released Wei Wuxian several days ago, Jin Ling had been worried that Jiang Cheng would actually break his legs, so he had decided to sneak off and disappear, intending to reappear in front his uncle only after Jiang Cheng’s temper had cooled.

–Chapt. 35: Flora III, fanyiyi

As much as Jin Ling wants to assure everyone that “that’s just how his uncle is” and show us how unbothered he is by Jiang Cheng’s behavior, he does actually fear the man. And with good reason to! Now let’s address the elephant in the room: Jiang Cheng very much so does want to be physically harm Jin Ling, and this almost always correlates to Jin Ling talking back/not listening to him. Take this scene from right after the juniors survive the goddess statue and Jin Ling reminding Jiang Cheng that he was the one who told the boy to either catch the beast on Dafan Mountain or never return to him:

Jiang Cheng wanted to slap the stinking brat so hard he’d fly back up his mother’s birth canal—but he did actually say those words. Since he couldn’t very well embarrass himself, the Clan Chief could only turn to sarcastically mocking the cultivators scattered randomly over the ground. “So what exactly thrashed all of you into looking so dignified?”

–Chapt. 10: Pride V, fanyiyi

The thing stopping him from slapping Jin Ling is the fact that Jiang Cheng publicly told the boy not to come back if he was not successful, and he has been publicly called out when trying to take Jin Ling to task. Being unable to swipe at the boy as he wishes, he then turns his attention to his disciples to punish, as they are lower than him in rank and therefore no one can chastise him on his unbecoming behavior. But once we get to the scenes where all social hierarchy and propriety break down–the second siege and Guanyin Temple–all hands are loosed:

Jiang Cheng forced himself to walk over to Jin Ling, grabbing him at once, “Did you get hurt?!”

Jin Ling’s breaths even smelled like rust, “I didn’t. I...”

Jiang Cheng immediately slapped him onto the ground, scolding, “You didn’t?! Then I’ll make you get hurt and teach you the lesson! You damn brat turning a deaf ear to my words?!”

–Chapt. 81: Loyalty, exr

Jiang Cheng shoved Jin Ling, who’d been holding him up helplessly, out of the way...

...With panic, Jin Ling stood in front of Jiang Cheng, “HanGuang-Jun! My uncle’s hurt...”

Jiang Cheng slapped him onto the ground, “Let him come! Am I scared of him?!”

–Chapt. 102: Hatred, exr

Social etiquette no longer exists in a life-or-death battle or hostage situation, so Jiang Cheng has no face to maintain in front of anyone else. But by this point in the story, Jin Ling has spent a considerable amount of time with two role models who do show him kindness, care, and support. He begins to crave that parental love he has been deprived of, starting from the second siege:

A few sect leaders clutched onto their sons, cautioning them, “When the corpses rush inside all at once, protect yourself and try to get out. Stay alive no matter what! You understand?!”

As Jin Ling heard this, he felt himself cringe, but somewhere deep down he hoped that his uncle would say something similar as well. He waited for a while, but nothing came from Jiang Cheng...

–Chapt. 81: Loyalty, exr

And when Jiang Cheng finally hits him for the first time, Jin Ling’s only reaction is to look towards wangxian:

He sat down, catching his breath as his eyes turned to the two sitting at the side of the Demon-Slaughtering Cave closest to the outside.

Both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi were a mess.

–Chapt. 81: Loyalty, exr

Finally, all of the dysfunction in Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng’s relationship comes to a head in Guanyin Temple, the climax of the story. Jiang Cheng’s behavior escalates into physical violence towards his last living relative, while Jin Ling is no longer lashing out at his uncle in place of being vulnerable but is also no longer able to brush off Jiang Cheng’s cruelty as acceptable. He has had his entire worldview turned on its head, and out of that, realizes that he does not want to continue the cycle of abuse and hatred that Jiang Cheng tries to force him to inherit, but would rather follow the path of love and kindness that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have shown him is possible.

Jin Ling on Jiang Cheng’s personality:

For as long as he could remember, Jin Ling had never seen Jiang Cheng with such an expression. His uncle, who had single-handedly led the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng at a tender young age, was always cold and gloomy. He was merciless and never kind with his words.

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

From the beginning of his memory until now, Jin Ling had never seen such a look on Jiang Cheng’s face before. This uncle of his who led the prominent YunmengJiang Sect ever since a young age had always been cold and dark. When he spoke, he was willing to neither show mercy nor do good.

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

Jin Ling saying Jiang Cheng has never hit him before and is all talk:

Jin Ling stirred awake after a while. He rubbed his neck, which was still hurting, then angrily drew his sword and sprung up. “How dare you hit me! Even my uncle has never hit me before!”

Wei Wuxian was shocked. “Is that so? Doesn’t he frequently say that he will break your legs?”

Jin Ling raged, “He had never meant what he said!! You fucking cutsleeve, what do you want? I ...”

–Chapt. 24: Malevolent Part 2: Escape, taming wangxian

He was so angry that he jumped up and unsheathed his sword at once, “How dare you hit me! My uncle hadn’t even hit me before!”

Wei WuXian exclaimed, “Really? Doesn’t he say that he’ll break your legs all the time?”

Jin Ling fumed, “He’s only saying that! You damn cut- sleeve, what on Earth do you want? I...”

–Chapt. 24: Malice, exr

Jiang Cheng’s insults to Jin Ling:

He scowled, “Jin Ling, why are you wasting so much time? Do I have to come over to invite you back? You look like a mess now; why aren’t you getting up?”

–Chapt. 7: The Prideful Part 2: Wangji Finally Makes his Appearance! taming wangxian

He frowned, “Jin Ling, why did you linger for so long? Do you really need me to come and pick you up? Look at what a terrible situation you’re in right now, and get up!”

–Chapt. 7: Arrogance, exr

Jiang Cheng said, “Safe and sound? You look like you’ve been rolling around in the gutters, how is that ‘safe and sound’? Aren’t you ashamed to be wearing your family’s uniform? Hurry back now and get changed! Spit it out, what did you encounter today?”

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

Jiang Cheng, “Nothing wrong? You look like you just rolled around in a muddy ditch, and you say there’s nothing wrong with you! Don’t you think that it’s an embarrassment to be wearing your sect’s uniform? Hurry back and change into something else! Speak. What did you run into today?”

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

Jiang Cheng lashing out at Jin Ling in place of concern:

Jiang Cheng was greatly relieved when he saw that Jin Ling was not harmed. He immediately began to reprimand him. “Didn’t you bring the signals with you? Why didn’t you release it even though you were up against something like this? Were you trying to show off? Come over here now!”

 –Chapt. 10: The Prideful Part 5: I’m Bringing This Man Back to the Lan Estate, taming wangxian

Seeing that Jin Ling was safe, Jiang Cheng finally calmed down. Quickly afterward, he scolded angrily, “Didn’t you bring signal firelights with you? Don’t you know to use them when you meet something like this? What are you pretending to be strong for? Scram over here!”

–Chapt. 10: Arrogance, exr

Jiang Cheng’s behavior pushing Jin Ling into danger:

Jiang Cheng then said in a scathing tone, “Why are you still standing there? The prey’s not going to stab themselves with your swords! If you can’t capture whatever’s on Dafan Mountain, don’t look for me again!”

–Chapt. 8: The Prideful Part 3: Discovering His Good Looks After Cleaning Up, taming wangxian

Jiang Cheng turned again, his words covered with thorns, “Why are you still standing there? Waiting for the prey to come and throw itself onto your sword? If, today, you don’t catch the creature hunting Dafan Mountain, don’t come to me ever again!”

–Chapt. 8: Arrogance, exr

It turned out that Jin Ling didn’t come to Qinghe alone. That wasn’t surprising; previously, Jiang Cheng had also provided him with back-up on Dafan Mountain, so why wouldn’t he be here this time? However, from the looks of it, the uncle and nephew probably had an argument in Qinghe, hence Jin Ling had trekked up Xinglu Ridge alone.

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

It appeared that Jin Ling didn’t come to Qinghe alone. Well, no wonder. Last time, at Dafan Mountain, Jiang Cheng had been there to assist him, so why wouldn’t he have come this time? However, looking at this now, it seemed that the two had a quarrel in the town of Qinghe, which was why Jin Ling went up the Xinglu Ridge alone

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

It turned out that a few days ago, after Jin Ling had sent Jiang Cheng away on a lie and released Wei Wuxian, he was worried that his uncle might really break his legs this time around. Hence, he decided to sneak out and disappear for a couple of weeks, then reappear when Jiang Cheng’s anger had subsided.

–Chapt. 35: Foliage Part 3: The Paper Effigies Shop and Glutinous Rice Porridge, taming wangxian

Ever since a few days ago, after Jin Ling lied to his uncle and let Wei WuXian go, he had been worried that this time Jiang Cheng would really break his legs, so he decided to sneak out and disappear for a few days, not appearing in front of Jiang Cheng until his anger subsided.

–Chapt. 35: Grasses, exr

Jin Ling refusing to be vulnerable with Jiang Cheng/lashing out:

Jin Ling was furious that he failed to capture the soul-eating fairy, and retorted, “Didn’t you say I had to capture it at all costs? And that I shouldn’t return to you empty handed!”

–Chapt. 10: The Prideful Part 5: I’m Bringing This Man Back to the Lan Estate, taming wangxian

Jin Ling was also angered from not capturing the soul- consuming goddess, “Weren’t you the one who told me that I have to catch it? And, if I don’t catch it, I shouldn’t go see you?”

–Chapt. 10: Arrogance, exr

Jin Ling said impatiently, “I’ve already told you that I didn’t encounter anything. I slipped and fell. It was a wasted trip. Ouch!” He yelled, “Don’t you drag me around like this! I’m not three years old!”

–Chapt. 23: Malevolent Part 1: Running into Gunpoint, taming wangxian

Jin Ling replied impatiently, “I already said that I didn’t run into anything. I tripped, and it was a waste of time. Ow!” He shouted, “Don’t tug on me like that! I’m not three-years- old!”

–Chapt. 23: Malice, exr

The voice that had called out earlier had belonged to the man standing at the head of the ship, none other than Jiang Cheng. Between tears, Jin Ling peered out and upon seeing his uncle, he abruptly stopped crying and quickly rubbed away his tears. Sniffing slightly, he looked around, clenching his teeth as he quickly flew over to Jiang Cheng’s side. Jiang Cheng grasped Jin Ling’s shoulders in alarm, asking, “What happened to you? Who bullied you!”

Rubbing his eyes forcefully, Jin Ling remained silent.

–Chapt. 84 Loyalty: Little Friends, chiaki_himura

The voice earlier had come from Jiang Cheng. Jin Ling’s eyes were misty with tears. Hearing his uncle’s voice, he immediately wiped his face clean, sniffed his nose, looked back and forth between the two ships, and then finally decided to fly over. The second Jin Ling landed besides him, Jiang Cheng had his hands on him, “What’s wrong? Who bullied you?!”

Jin Ling wiped at his eyes hard, but refused to speak.

–Chapt. 84: “Core” Part 6, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jiang Cheng wishing violence on Jin Ling:

Jiang Cheng wanted to slap this kid so hard that he would be forced back into his mother’s womb. However, these were his very own words; how could he take them back?

–Chapt. 10: The Prideful Part 5: I’m Bringing This Man Back to the Lan Estate, taming wangxian

Jiang Cheng seriously wanted to slap the rotten brat so hard that he went back inside his mother’s stomach. However, he really did say so himself, and he shouldn’t prove himself wrong.

–Chapt. 10: Arrogance, exr

Jiang Cheng physically harming Jin Ling:

Jiangcheng limped quickly towards Jin Ling, grabbing him his shoulders with both hands as he said angrily, “Are you hurt!”

Breathing heavily, Jin Ling murmured, “No, I......”

Jiang Cheng had landed a slap on Jin Ling’s face as he berated, “No?! If you’re not hurt then let me give you something to hurt about! You rascal, turning a deaf ear to my words now, aren’t you?!”

–Chapt. 81 Loyalty: Corpses of the Burial Mound, chiaki_himura

Jiang Cheng limped towards Jin Ling, grabbed him and yelled, “Are you injured!”

Even Jin Ling’s laboured breaths were tainted with the smell of blood, “No, I…….”

Jiang Cheng immediately slapped him onto the group, “No?! Then take this as a reminder for what you just did! Do my words mean nothing to you, you little shit!”

–Chapt. 81: “Core” Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jiang Cheng pushed away Jin Ling who had been supporting him, and despite having lost so much blood, his face remained flushed with anger as he roared, “How could you?! Wei Wuxian, how could you?!”...

...Lan Wangji stood up furiously as Jin Ling leapt in front of Jiang Cheng again, trembling as he begged, “HanGuang-Jun! My uncle is injured......”

Jiang Cheng struck a blow on Jin Ling, causing him to stumble to the ground.

–Chapt. 102 Hatred: I’m Sorry, I Swallowed My Words, chiaki_himura

Jin Ling wanting to hear kind words from Jiang Cheng:

Several sect leaders grabbed onto their offspring, urgently directing them, “When the corpses rush in, you have to protect yourself and find a way to escape. You must stay alive no matter what! Do you understand?!”

Hearing the desperation in the parents’ voices, Jin Ling felt a pang of sadness. Deep down, he had hoped that perhaps Jiang Cheng would also say this to him, but however long he waited, nothing came out of it...

–Chapt. 81 Loyalty: Corpses of the Burial Mound, chiaki_himura

Various Sect and Clan Leaders had grabbed their own sons, warning, “When the corpses rush in, you will protect yourself, and find a way to escape! You must survive no matter what happens! Do you understand me?!”

Hearing this, a sourness churned within Jin Ling. A part of him longed to hear those same words from his own uncle. But after waiting for a few, long moments, Jiang Cheng showed no sign of speaking up.

–Chapt. 81: “Core” Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

Jin Ling looking to wangxian for comfort:

After taking the blow, Jin Ling couldn’t stand any further and sat onto the ground heavily, breathing deeply as his eyes travelled to the silhouettes of the two people sitting closest to the entrance of the cave.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were a mess.

–Chapt. 81 Loyalty: Corpses of the Burial Mound, chiaki_himura

Yet Jiang Cheng* himself had no energy left to stand after giving this slap. He sat down heavily, breathing hard as he glared at the two figures closest to the mouth of the Demon-Crouching Cave.

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi were a mess.

–Chapt. 81: “Core” Part 3, boat-full-of-lotus-pods

*boat-full-of-lotus-pods is the only translation of the three I have of Chapt. 81 that says that Jiang Cheng is the one who looks at wangxian. Both exr and chiaki_himura say that this is Jin Ling.

[arwatchesandreads]

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (在暴雪时分)

Yet another one. As you can see I love a fluffy, calm, feel-good romance show and here is another one that I can add to that list. Amidst a Snowstorm of Love made by the same showrunner as Love Me, Love My Voice, was another success in creating the sweetest meet cute and showing the most wonderful relationship between two people. This show was cute on top of cute on top of cute, and I was in love with the characters, with the romance, just every little bit. 

My Rating: 10/10

Episodes: 30

Country: China

Genre: Meet Cute Romance with Billiards

Aired: Feb 2nd, 2024- Feb 14th, 2024

Cast:

Leo Wu as Lin Yi Yang

Zhao Jin Mai as Yin Guo

Wang Xing Yue as Meng Xiao Dong

Ding Xiao Ying as Lin Lin

Chen Jing Ke as Jiang Yang 

Dong Zi Fan as Wu Wei

Wang Run Ze as Li Qing Yan

Han Dong Lin as Chen An An

Wang Jia Xuan as Meng Xiao Tian

Synopsis:

Yin Guo is a professional billiards player in nine- ball, and she has a tournament in Hel, however, she came a few months earlier to scope out the place as Meng Xiao Tian (her cousin) was planning to attend school there. 

Yin Guo meets Lin Yi Yang during a snowstorm where they are stranded at a bar. Lin Yi Yang fell in love at first sight. He tries to help out the cousins by getting them a cab, and thus starting their journey of getting to know each other. 

This drama was adapted from the web novel “Zai Bao Xue Shi Fen” (在暴雪时分) by Mo Bao Fei Bao (墨宝非宝), who is also the author of the novel “Really, Really Miss You” which inspired Love Me, Love My Voice. 

Beware of Spoilers Moving Forward!!!!!!

What Episode did the Main Couple Start Dating?

It’s kinda like alluded that they are essentially together after Episode 6, however, Yin Guo still questions if they are in a relationship in Episode 9 LOL which caught me off guard because the way she asks him is by asking if he has a girlfriend at school or something???? but I understand why she was asking. She was just clarifying what they were. He then clarifies that he’s serious about her and that’s I guess technically when they were official. 

Misunderstandings?

They have a minor dispute in Episode 18. This is it though LOL. They have no other misunderstandings other than this. This misunderstanding also only lasts less than an episode.

Episode 18 is when Yi Yang was trying to toast Yin Guo’s mom as a way to try to create amends for his prior actions as a child, however, Yin Guo’s mom still acted extremely cold towards him. 

Yin Guo felt like Yi Yang was treating her more cold because of her mom and she walked away from him creating a rift between them. 

In Episode 19, they solve this misunderstanding. Yi Yang came to try to make up with her the next morning but she had already left for training for 2 months. He texts her that he’s there, and she calls him, and she wonders why he didn’t call the same night and because of that she got even more mad the next morning and left without saying anything. He basically gives in and says “I miss you, I’ll go now, bye” and let me tell you his response made me so sad and I felt bad like I stood him up * sobs *. 

Yin Guo talks to the driver who is taking everyone to training, and they have a sweet relatable moment, and he asks her why she didn’t stay at home an extra day to relax. She takes this as an opportunity to go back and make up with Yi Yang, and takes a cab back to him. 

Love Triangles?

There are no love triangles. hehe

There are love rivals but, are they really rivals? (the answer is no lol) We have Li Qing Yan who likes Yin Guo, he’s one of Meng Xiao Dong’s disciples (Meng Xiao Dong is Yin Guo’s cousin). Then, we have Cheng Yan who likes Lin Yi Yang, she is a member of Dongxin City, which is the club that Lin Yi Yang was a part of when he was young. 

Second Main Leads

Honestly, were they really the second main leads? LOL. I barely understood how it was listed as such. Their romance was subtle, and they were just there. I didn’t really care about them tbh ahahahaha. Yin Guo was very invested in it though, however, I wasn’t really bothered.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love Ending

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love has a cute ending where they both find out that they had anonymous accounts where they only talked about each other. After the Asian Games, he takes the core friend group on a trip. During this trip, he proposes to her while singing the main song of the show jskjndfkjsfkjs (i’m not screaming you are). He did this sweet comparison where he compared his life to the Truman Show and said that the world he created around himself in Hel was fake, and this girl aka Yin Guo, shows up and breaks his reality. He proposes and she says yes right away and then they have a 3 year time skip and it’s just a massive reminiscing scene in Hel. 

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love Review- Meet Cute with that Shy, Awkwardness that evokes the feeling of falling in love

This show in my eyes is a 10/10. I enjoyed basically every second of this beautiful, charming, wholesome romance between two green forest characters. If I’m being completely honest, the majority of the characters in this show is a whole green forest. The romance was just romancing. From the meet-cute, to the awkwardness of getting to know each other, to the hand holding, kissing, communicating, long distance relationship, rejoicing of being physically together again, growing and succeeding together. Everything was just done so well, so elegantly, I was squealing like a highschool girl in my seat watching this show. 

The billiards plot was also extremely fun for me to watch, as I was not really well versed in billiards nor even knew there were multiple types. Lin Yi Yang’s plot with Dongxin City and his coach was really heartwarming to watch and just seeing him becoming more understanding and growing in character was just wonderful to watch. 

This show was the most perfect watch for me. I felt like I was falling in love at the same time as the characters. The cinematic scenes with the actors that had amazing chemistry and wonderful acting skill, just made the experience that much better. 

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love is a must-watch for romance watchers who love shows with supportive main leads, supportive friends, little misunderstandings, a lot of kissing and chemistry, and watching two people just fall in love.

[shanastoryteller]

How do you come up with redemption arcs for characters that in canon are... Pretty unredeemable? I suppose it's a lot of subjective opinions but for example Lucius Malfoy in siat. In canon I would say not a good dude but I like what you've done with him. Same with Jiang Cheng I dont care much about him in canon but I love him in your fics. There are loads of examples really! It baffles me how you manage it😂 (I mean for this to come of as curious and not like rude/offensive btw, I think it's really creative and wondering about your process with it)

uuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh okay i'll do my best to explain. sorry in advance if i do a bad job T_T

i guess i don't really think of them as redemption arcs? honestly the idea of redemption doesn't really hold a lot of water with me because. it's just not real, you know? there's no cosmic checkbook where you can do something bad, go into the red, and work yourself into the black with enough good deeds or self actualization

it just doesn't matter

a bowl once broken cannot become unbroken. you can glue it together, but the cracks will remain, and it won't change the fact that you broke it. redemption to me is like deserving mercy - by it's very definition, impossible. because if you deserve mercy, it's not mercy. it's justice

instead, there is growth, and there is forgiveness, and neither of these things have to do with each other. it's just when you combine these things, people call that a redemption arc

you can grow into the type of person that doesn't break bowls and that is good for society and for yourself because that means there are less broken bowls. you can be forgiven for breaking the bowl, or not, but it has no bearing on the likelihood that that you'll break another bowl

paradoxically, when i have a disliked character that i want you to like, i don't tend to go for either growth or forgiveness

i also don't erase the thing people dislike them for. i think that's the laziest way to try and make a character palatable, even though i know it's a popular one. add. don't subtract

we dislike canon lucius malfoy because he's a death eater on the wrong side of the war who gives in to voldemort past the point he even believes in the cause anymore. siat lucius malfoy ... is a death eater on the wrong side of the war who gives in to voldemort past the point he even believes in the cause anymore.

but he loves his son, and his wife, and when his son's life is on the line, he chooses draco. when draco's good opinion of him is on the line, he chooses that. not once, or twice, but always. he still participated in the first war. he's still a bigot. he still let's voldemort take over his home. but when push comes to shove, he loves draco, and we love draco and - that's enough. the terrible things he's done are distant and theoretical and his love for his family is right there and so we can focus on one over the other. i don't try to make him a good person. one of the og siat tags is literally "lucius malfoy is a bad person but a good father" and that's it in a nutshell. we like him because he's a good father and it's fiction and in fiction being a good dad outweighs being a war criminal. he punches voldemort in the face and switches side but it's not because of personal growth - it's because his son is and always has been his line and voldemort has crossed it and has to deal with the consequences just like anyone else

jiang cheng is hard because i really don't think he did anything wrong. i couldn't get into the novel, so i pretty much only go off the show. he made the best choices he could given the information he had, since he didn't know that wei wuxian had beein in the burial mounds or gave up his golden core or any of that. i legitimately don't believe he meant to kill wei wuxian because that narratively makes absolutely zero sense. he was on wei wuxian's side up until he thought he was responsible for their sister's death. and before that he got frustrated with him for being a drunkard and not helping him when he said he would, and like - who wouldn't? wei wuxian could have told him the truth but didn't. wei wuxian lied to him constantly. i love them both but they're both responsible here. but besides that, people don't like him because he's angry and represses his emotions and is quick to blame wei wuxian when things go wrong. and that's true in my stories too.

i don't make him into a different person and i don't change what he did (again, i really truly think that he killed him on accident because since when does being thrown off a cliff kill a cultivator). and in my post canon stories, he has to deal with the consequences of his actions and decide how he's going to deal with them. i don't think jiang cheng is emotionally immature. i think he's emotionally very mature. i just think he has a temper and poor impulse control and a strong sense of guilt, and that is not the same thing as being immature. he understands how other people think and act and their perceptions a lot better than wei wuxian does, he knows how to play the game a lot better than he does. jiang cheng successfully rebuilt and led a clan in terrible political climate and that's not something he could do without understanding people. the problem is wei wuxian goes out of his way to be deliberately misunderstood and had his own guilt and self worth issues that run right up against jiang cheng's. but that doesn't make either of them bad people. it just makes them complicated

oh geez that was a whole lot. did that help at all?? maybe???

[motivationisdead]

Have you guys ever given serious thought about what Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan would be like as parents? So I know a lot people when writing fanfictions like to act like Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan would have been great parents if they’d lived but we’ve literally seen how they handle their interpersonal relationships and I have my doubts. And this is assuming Jin Guangyao wouldn’t have just simply had Jin Zixuan assassinated later.

Now, I have no doubt they would love Jin Ling, that’s not what this is about, it’s not even in question. But, in the novel specifically, Jin Ling is insecure in himself and constantly feels the need to prove himself because he feels the need to make up for the gap his parents left in his life and no one has ever given him the validation he needs.

If his parents had lived I imagine Jin Ling would have the opposite problem.

Both Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli never allow members of their family to face the consequences of their actions or stand up to their families. Just like Jin Zixuan never addresses Jin Zixun’s unpleasant behavior neither did Jiang Yanli with Jiang Cheng or her mother even when they disagreed with them. In fact, Wei Wuxian was often made to take the fall or be the excuse of their families behaviors. And Jin Zuxuan is already shown to be classist.

So instead of insecure Jin Ling would be arrogant, secure in his place within the sect, haughty, used to getting what he wants when he wants it, and never having to face any consequences for his behavior. Maybe he’d still feel the need to prove himself as a sect heir or to his father or uncle. Maybe he’d grow up listening to whispers about Jiang Yanli’s poor cultivation and how that might have affected his cultivation being her son. I doubt Jin Ling would just be free from outside pressure after all.

But Jin Ling is shown to be an inherently good person so even while I say this I think he wouldn’t be too bad. Jin Ling is an empathetic person so while he’d undoubtedly be rude and look down on certain people I doubt he’d ever truly go further than that beyond some abuse in power. The behavior would still be correctable is what I mean.

Pretty similar to his canon behavior actually but with just slight differences behind his behavior and the intent of it.

What really gets me though is the thought of two year old Jin Ling crying to his mother about how mean Uncle Jiang Cheng is and how he threatened to throw Jin Ling out and him getting the same talk she gives to Wei Wuxian about how ‘he didn’t mean it A-Ling’ and ‘that’s how he shows he cares’ and I just. Am horrified because I can see it happening. I can see her passively letting Jiang Cheng verbally (and maybe physically if it can be brushed off as training or discipline) abusing her son and her making Jin Ling be the one to apologize for his reaction instead of making Jiang Cheng correct his behavior and words—just like she did with Wei Wuxian. Because Jiang Yanli would rather avoid a confrontation than address the problem.

And Jin Zixuan, because he loves his wife and Jiang Cheng is a sect leader he can’t get on bad terms with, would, of course, never think to question her judgement. Or do anything about it.

Because the two of them are used to enabling their families bad behaviors. They probably don’t even think about it like that because they have such huge blindspots when it comes to their family. Jiang Yanli probably thinks of it as keeping the peace and Jin Zixuan probably only thinks of it as showing loyalty to his sect. And outside of their family Jin Ling probably gets to do or say whatever he wants to whoever he wants and never get anything more than a mild scolding. They probably don’t even realize how damaging their own behavior is to their son because it’s just… normal to them.

So no, I don’t think Jiang Yanli or Jin Zixuan would make great parents. But I also don’t think Jin Ling would really be any worse than he was in canon if they’d raised him. Which isn’t really a glowing review honestly.